


Cold Open

by grey2510



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Universe, Christmas, F/M, Gen, Imaginary Friends, Vaguely season 15, Zanna (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21854119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grey2510/pseuds/grey2510
Summary: Sam is startled awake by visions from Chuck, but when he gets up, he finds Eileen is missing...
Relationships: Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19
Collections: SPNColdestHits





	1. Chapter 1

**The Road So Far…**

_Super dramatic flashes. A red-lit Bunker. Scruffy Dean moves through the hallways, gun raised. Cut to Dean approaching Sam, who looks at Dean coldly._

_"Sammy, listen to me." Dean pleads. "This is the demon blood. You have to fight it!"_

_"Why would I do that?"_

_A man approaches Sam from behind. With a slight turn of his head, Sam snaps the man's neck and turns back to Dean._

_"Sammy, please. Please."_

_Sam's eyes flash black. Dean's neck snaps and he falls to the ground._

_Cut to the Bunker infirmary. Sam is sitting on a bed. Eileen stands to his side. Cas and Dean stand the equivalent of a thousand Destiel miles apart, looking at Sam._

_Sam is hunched in on himself, obviously recovering from his ordeal. "I feel like, uh... I feel like I was in his head."_

_"You were in Chuck's head?" Dean says in disbelief._

_"I think so. A-And I-I think I-I saw his memories. Dean, Chuck is weak. I think we can beat him. I think we can beat God._

**Now…**

_Sam can feel the gun in his hand, but Dean kneeling before him, his face bloodied… Nothing. He knows he should feel something, should be concerned that he's going to sacrifice his brother. But he isn't. This is the logical choice. It's the only solution. Dean's weak, his death would be easier to accomplish. And why should Sam sacrifice himself when there's an easier target before him? Dean was always getting in his way…_

_"No. Sammy."_

_"I'm sorry, Dean." Except he's not._

_He raises the gun. It'll be a clean shot, right in the forehead. Simple._

_He pulls the trigger—_

Sam jerks up in his bed. He's drenched in sweat, his heart is pounding. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a second, concentrating on his breathing. His heart rate slows and belatedly he realizes the other half of the bed is empty. He frowns, partly relieved he hasn't disturbed Eileen but curious as to where she could be if the pillow is cold. Maybe she was having trouble sleeping, too. It wouldn't be the first time he's gotten up to find her in the library reading or watching a show on her laptop.

He gets up and shuffles to the door, but his hand freezes on the doorknob. Almost literally. He can see his breath. He shivers, his skin finally registering the combination of drying sweat and bone-cold air.

Another ghost? Eileen couldn't entirely get past the warding when she was dead—she was stuck as a hazy blur of a ghost—but the Bunker clearly wasn't as ghost-proof as he thought if she got that far. Maybe it's someone else they know.

Quickly, he grabs the nearest jacket from his wardrobe and shoves his feet into his boots. From under the bed, he grabs the shotgun full of rocksalt. He hopes he doesn't need it, but given his life...

If his bedroom is chilly, the hallway is frigid. A cold gust of wind moves down the hallway, but now that he's out there, it doesn't seem unnatural. Just cold and wintery.

He moves in the direction of the library, gun cocked but pointed at the ceiling. The room's empty, save for the few flurries drifting in from the war room and the door to the outside. The door creaks as it swings on the night wind.

He crosses to the stairs but pauses when he sees something resting precariously on the edge of one of the risers. A very familiar phone.

"Eileen!" he calls in fear, purely out of instinct, even though the rational corner of his mind reminds him that she can't hear him call to her. He bounds up the stairs, nearly slipping and falling from the inch of snow coating the top two steps.

The cold night air is sharp in his lungs as he bursts through the Bunker door and up the concrete stairs. The driveway up to the factory and Bunker entrance is empty—Dean parked the Impala in the garage when the weather advisory hit. There's no tire tracks. Just pure white snow.

He spins, looking for any clue. There. Close to the foundation of the factory, circling up around the hill. Footprints. The tracks overlap and the snow has started to cover them, so he can't tell much except the direction. He follows, the panic starting to rise in his throat. He just got her back. He can't… she can't be…

He nears the corner of the factory and slows. The snow is painted faint blue and green and red light, flickering. There are voices, low murmurs that he can just barely detect over the wind.

With his back to the concrete wall and his gun raised, he takes a breath and trains his ears as he inches sideways. A male voice. And then… Eileen's voice and she gasps and—

Sam whips around the corner, hoping to surprise whoever or whatever has taken Eileen.

His eyes grow wide at the scene before him.

"No… How…"

**SUPERNATURAL TITLE CARD**


	2. Chapter 2

"Sam!" two voices say in unison.

Eileen grins from beneath a knitted hat. The pompom's bits of silvery thread catch in the moonlight. But that's nothing compared to the tennis-ball sized pompom with _lights_ in it on top of the head of the man—male shaped being? Sam really should ask, or should know—next to her.

"Sully?" He blinks. "What are you doing here?"

"Spreading the holiday cheer, silly!" Instead of suspenders and a t-shirt, the zanna is dressed in a rainbow winter coat with white fur at the cuffs and collar. It's only then that Sam realizes that there's a giant decorated and lit Christmas tree behind the two of them.

"Oh. Uh…That's great…" He looks to Eileen and asks in sign if she's alright. She nods, a little puzzled.

Sully sighs. "Of _course_ she's alright. I popped in but saw you were sleeping. But Eileen was awake so I got her to come with me to decorate for you!"

"You can see the zanna?" Sam asks Eileen.

Eileen shrugs with a smile. "I was six. Having a hard time at school. Rosie was there for me."

Sully beams and turns to Eileen, signing as he speaks. "Rosie still talks of you, you know. She'll be _so_ jealous I got to see you."

Sam shakes his head. He can't believe it and he's still got adrenaline whiplash from his rush to get out here. Eileen seems to notice this and frowns.

"Are you ok, Sam?"

He huffs, then reaches into his pocket, pulling out her phone. "I found this. And the door was left open and you were gone and…"

Eileen's eyes widen and she pats her pockets. "Oh, Sam! I didn't even realize! It must have slipped out!" She crosses to Sam, taking the phone and then hugging him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."

At once, the tension eases from his limbs and he closes his eyes, focusing on the fact that Eileen is here and she's safe.

When he opens them, he sees Sully grimace sheepishly. "I was the last one out. That door is a _beast_. I must not have closed it tight."

"Do you even need doors?" Sam wonders as Eileen pulls away.

"No, but it's the _polite_ thing to do when you're walking around with humans." Sully shakes his head. "It's like I didn't teach you anything." Before Sam can protest or apologize, Sully brightens up again. "But look! Tree! And there's hot cocoa in the kitchen and I betcha I can get you some marshmallow nachos…"

Sam chuckles. "It looks amazing, Sully. But it's freezing out here. Let's get inside."

With Eileen under his arm and Sully by his side, Sam heads back to the Bunker, prepared for possibly one of the weirdest—but hopefully one of the best—Christmases he'll probably ever have.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Coldest Hits:  
> [Here was the prompt and rules](https://spncoldesthits.tumblr.com/post/188929718070/december-2019-prompt-holiday-horror-posting-dates). 
> 
> Much thanks to the people who do the transcripts at Super-Wiki. I used [15x04](http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/15.04_Atomic_Monsters_\(transcript\)) and [15x07](http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/15.07_Last_Call_\(transcript\)) as the basis for my "The Road So Far" section.
> 
> [Link to title card image](https://66.media.tumblr.com/0f5a0babee59a61ed34b6437b2f066d1/tumblr_pz7994gUIo1uagv9mo3_500.gifv)


End file.
